Aug 9 How To Upload Photos into Instagram Stories

Instagram launched a new feature last week called Stories, which allows you to post photos and videos that will not appear in your feed, but instead will be visible to your followers in a slideshow format, for up to 24 hours -- similar to Snapchat Stories. This is a great way to share more on Instagram without polluting your feed with dozens of photos and videos you wouldn’t otherwise publish or would probably just delete later.

When first playing with Instagram Stories, I couldn’t figure out how to upload picture or videos that I had already taken. Instead, it seemed I was forced to first shoot using the Instagram app, and upload from there -- exactly like with Snapchat Stories.

A couple days later I stumbled upon a way to access my Camera Roll and upload an already captured image into my Instagram Story. It's not overly obvious so I figured I'd share this tid bit of information!

How To Upload Photos, Videos, Hyperlapses, Boomerangs into Instagram Stories

1. Open the Instagram App

2. Click on the Stories icon in the upper left, this will take you into the native camera mode

3. To bring up your photo library, simply pull down on the window to reveal a photo picker window

4. Pick a photo and add text, filters, and scribbles before adding it to your story just like you would otherwise

Limitations to Uploading Photos to Instagram Stories

Only photos/videos captured within the last 24 hours will be available and eligible to be shared on your story, anything over 24 hours old will not show up in the image picker

Videos longer than 10 seconds will automatically be edited to meet the 10-second restriction for Instagram Stories, you cannot trim clips in the app so it is best to do it beforehand

So there it is! That's it! Not overly difficult but also not completely obvious!